Disclaimers have not changed since chapter one.
Thank you all for the feedback. I am glad that I have caught the attention of those who typically don't go for this genre of NCIS story. That means a lot, and I hope that you will continue reading.
This will be the last chapter for a few days as it's back to the grind for me tomorrow, but I'll do what I can in the coming days.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this latest installment.
Out of the Dark – Chapter Five
A whole bunch of nothing, isn't that what Abby had said earlier? Looking back, it was as if the scientist's words had been a portent of things to come.
A whole bunch of nothing was exactly what Gibbs and DiNozzo had uncovered in their canvas of the Arlington warehouse district. A few vague descriptions of a black van – why did it always have to be a black van – speeding away from the general location of the crime. A few hazy recollections of gun shots at about the time of the ambush.
You mean they weren't fireworks?
Fireworks?
At ten in the morning?
In November?
It was late by the time Gibbs and DiNozzo returned to the Navy Yard. Abby's analysis of the forensic evidence was still pending. Strangely, that was all she would tell him. No rambling tangents, no protestations of gratitude over the CafPow he had handed her. Just a quick, "Thank you, Gibbs. You'll know when I have something, Gibbs," and she returned to her keyboard, her fingers a blur as she entered instructions for whatever it was she was doing. Two of her conscripted "assistants" were sacked out in the corner – oblivious to the beat of Android Lust that blared from the overhead speakers. Little wonder Abby didn't care for assistants. They just couldn't keep up.
McGee's preliminary examination of Simons' flash drive had provided virtually no information of value he had told Gibbs when he called for an update. So far everything in Simons' notes gelled with the official reports. "But I'm triple-checking it now, Boss," McGee had insisted. The data was extensive and therefore time-consuming to verify. Tim had been about to start in on Carlson's notes when he apparently "Qwertyed" at his desk. DiNozzo explained this to Gibbs to mean that McGee had fallen asleep on his keyboard.
Sure enough, the tell-tale evidence was imprinted on McGee's forehead when Gibbs woke him up to send both he and DiNozzo to Bolling Air Force Base. Knowing that they would be working late and starting early, The Director had arranged for temporary housing for the team across the Anacostia. Gibbs had ordered McGee and DiNozzo to bed, and returned an hour later from his briefing with Morrow to find both agents passed out at their desks. Grabbing his coat, Gibbs left them where they were.
A whole bunch of nothing.
Well, maybe not nothing.
"Agent Todd's a very lucky woman, all things considered," said Captain Emily Pagnozzi, the Navy trauma surgeon who had spent several hours patching up the wounded agent. "The GSWs to her leg and shoulder were through and through and only damaged the soft tissue. She did suffer an acute tear to the right rotator cuff, though. She'll probably need another surgery in a few weeks to repair that. She also took three other bullets to her chest, but those were stopped by her vest – good thing she was wearing one. Didn't stop them from cracking two ribs, though …"
"What happened to her eyes?" Gibbs interrupted, his gaze never leaving the unconscious from of his colleague as he mentally crosschecked the doctor's report with what he saw with his own eyes. A nurse bustled around Kate, checking her blood pressure and other vitals. A heavy, white bandage encircled Kate's head, covering her eyes. He could see bruising and a series of nasty looking cuts beneath the edges of the bandage.
"Agent Todd suffered severe abrasions and some lacerations to both corneas," Pagnozzi admitted. "Our ophthalmic surgeon, Dr. Wong, removed several slivers of wood and some minor metallic fragments imbedded in her eyes. It looks like something exploded in her face."
The bullet-splintered pallets where Kate fell would probably account for that, Gibbs decided.
"We saved those along with the clothes Agent Todd was wearing when she came in," the doctor added. "Your people took them into evidence when they collected Agent Carlson's body."
At the mention of his friend's name, Jenna Carlson's anguished face popped into Gibbs's mind. It had been that way most of the day, a mental focal point for his investigation, but even now that image faded in light of the trauma that Kate had experienced, and as Gibbs watched the rhythmic fall of her chest he felt a new emotion, one he couldn't quite identify, rise in his chest. It was part anger, part responsibility, but there was more to it than just that.
"Her wounds will heal soon enough," Pagnozzi continued, oblivious to Gibbs' introspection. "The ribs are going to cause her quite a bit of discomfort for awhile, as will that shoulder, but we can help her manage the pain with proper medica …"
"Will she be able to see, Doctor," Gibbs asked pointedly, bringing his focus back to what Pagnozzi was telling him. He'd figure the rest of it out later.
"She won't be blind, if that's what you're asking, Agent Gibbs," said the surgeon, guiding him to the Nurse's Station where she returned the medical chart, "but the truth of it is that it's too early to tell whether or not she'll be able to see well enough to return to field duty. Her eyes are currently protected by plastic shields in addition to the bandages. Eye rest will be key in the coming days. We're giving her a broad-spectrum antibiotic, but she'll be receiving antibiotic drops as well to guard against infection. Dr. Wong will examine her daily until she goes home, but until then, we wait to see what happens."
Gibbs turned back to look through the partially opened glass door of Kate's room, silent as he processed the doctor's words. 'Wait and see' was a process he never handled well, but it was one he was having to experience at every turn with this case. The strange sensation again assaulted him.
He didn't want to wait. He wanted to see Kate leaning against her desk, mocking DiNozzo as he recounted his latest attempt at channeling James Bond. He wanted to hear her voice as she reported the latest detail of the current case. He wanted –
"I've arranged for a 24-hour guard on Agent Todd," Gibbs informed the physician, indicating the two NCIS agents stationed down the hallway. "No one is to have any contact with her until they have been vetted through my agency. That means doctors, nurses, orderlies … no visitors unless you have a verbal okay from me."
"We're unfortunately all too familiar with the procedure here, Agent Gibbs," Pagnozzi acknowledged. "We see Agent Todd as one of our own. We'll make sure nothing happens to her while she's under our care." She watched as Gibbs rubbed his tired eyes. "It's late, Agent Gibbs. There's nothing else that you can do here tonight, perhaps if you …"
"I'll be staying."
Pagnozzi had seen that one coming, but she had to try. "Let the nurses know if you need anything," she said. "Although it's difficult to get any rest in a hospital, let alone the ICU, I expect Agent Todd will have a comfortable night. It's unlikely she'll awaken before morning.
"I'll see you then, Doctor," Gibbs said.
With a nod, the doctor turned to consult with one of the nurses.
"Oh, and Doc?"
Pagnozzi turned back, questioningly.
"Thank you."
She smiled. All too often people caught up in the trauma of a critically injured loved one forgot the power of those two simple words. "You're welcome, Agent Gibbs."
Gibbs hovered in the doorway until the nurse finished his paperwork, then, with a final check of the IV in Kate's arm, exited the room. The room was dim, only a single light shone above the sink in the alcove, but he glow of the Washington skyline dominated the view out the window behind Kate's bed.
The rhythmic tone of the heart monitor had been turned down so that its beeping was only vaguely discernable in the background. Quietly, though there was little chance of disturbing her tonight, Gibbs walked to the side of Kate's hospital bed. Both cheeks were heavily bruised and speckled with tiny cuts, her face was pale and drawn, and a plastic oxygen tube was looped over her ears and under her nose.
He was grateful that she wasn't on a ventilator.
He wanted – there it was again – to see her dark eyes stare up at him with that challenging look they so often held, but they were carefully protected behind the white bandages that stood out in stark contrast to her dark hair. Her right arm was bound tightly to her chest to prevent excess movement that might cause her shoulder wound to reopen, and beneath the blanket he could make out the bulk of the bandages that covered her otherwise slim thigh. Her petite form was all but dwarfed by the large bed, and Gibbs was troubled at how lost she appeared.
"I never should have let you go without us," he said.
Without … me.
As he studied Kate's face, a lone patch of unmarred flesh near her ear drew him. Reaching out, Gibbs started to touch her cheek; he hesitated then reached out again. At the last moment he pulled back, clenching his fingers tightly into a fist that he dropped to his side.
"I won't let you down again, Kate," he whispered, hoping that some part of her heard him. But even as he said the words, he came to the understanding that they were as much for him as for her. With a decisive nod, Gibbs pulled the reclining chair closer to her bed, sat down, pulled the lever to extend the footrest, and propped up his legs.
As the night passed, Gibbs often fiddled with the sheet near Kate's hand, occasionally grasping her fingers in his and rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb before he realized what he was doing. He would then run the offending hand through his hair and return it to the arm rest.
It was never long before the process started again.
The medical staff worked easily around him as they made their frequent checks on their patient that night. Gibbs followed every movement they made but asked no questions, figuring they would tell him if there had been any significant change in Kate's condition. When they left, he would turn back to the view beyond the window, alone with his thoughts of Kate and of the case at hand.
When shift-change arrived just before dawn, the night nurse noticed with a quiet smile that the imposing silver-haired agent had finally fallen asleep; his hand finally at rest curled as it was around Kate's.